Stronsay | VisitOrkney Back to Our Islands Stronsay is friendly, tranquil and absolutely beautiful - just perfect if you are looking to chill-out and relax. When you visit, you'll be made very welcome by the local community. It's that sort of place. In addition to its natural beauty, Stronsay is also very flat, making it an ideal location for a gentle stroll or to discover the island on two wheels. You're here to take it easy, so there's nothing too strenuous! In fact, the highest point - Burgh Hill - is only 46 meters above sea level. Part of the island's appeal lies in the fact that the famed sandy beaches and turquoise bays are easily accessible. They are very popular with seals too and the BBC filmed these endearing creatures on Stronsay for its popular Autumnwatch nature programme.

The white beaches of Stronsay Sunset at Papasound, Stronsay Whitehall Village in Stronsay The famous Vat of Kirbister Sticking to the eastern coastline, you will encounter the Vat of Kirbister, a dramatic gloup spanned by the finest natural rock arch in Orkney, while the cliffs at Lamb Ness and Lamb Head are home to seabird colonies. The island's bird reserve is reputed to be one of the best sites in Europe for spotting rare migrants. While you explore the island, the strong community spirit among the 370 inhabitants is reflected in projects geared to Stronsay's long-term sustainability, notably around Whitehall Village. The island is perhaps best known for its role in the herring industry. Whitehall was one of the busiest ports in Europe, when vast fleets moored at its waters from the 17th century until the 1930s. This fascinating story is now told at the Heritage Centre in the village. Stronsay can be reached by ferry or plane from Kirkwall .

Stronsay | Orkney.com Stronsay Menu Stronsay Stronsay is a beautiful island to visit and live on with magical sandy beaches backed by dunes, a stunning coastline and a main settlement with grand houses dating back to the herring fishery days. There is a strong community spirit with the local development trust working on projects to ensure the island remains sustainable. There is a population of around 370 residents and the main centre is the village of Whitehall. Here are large houses which look more like fancy city dwellings dating from the days when the vast herring fleet came in, from the 17th century until the 1930s. Hundreds of boats would be tied up and the herring girls would travel up the east coast to Stronsay to work. Whitehall today has a hotel, shops and a post office. The Stronsay Fish Mart Cafe and Hostel is a newly refurbished facility in the heart of the village, offering teas, coffees, homebakes, snacks, lunches and Sunday meals. The island is popular with sailors as the harbour has excellent mooring facilities.

Stronsay also has a healthy living centre with a mini gym at the Junior High School as well as a swimming pool. Elsewhere, the Craftship Enterprise is a craft and gift shop offering crafting courses, days out and holidays throughout the summer season. There are excellent accommodation options in Stronsay as well as a taxi service and self-drive car hire. Click to Enlarge A view across to Whitehall pier in Stronsay Click to Enlarge An aerial view of Whitehall village in Stronsay Click to Enlarge A Stronsay boathouse in Orkney Click to Enlarge Waves rolling onto a Stronsay beach Click to Enlarge An aerial view of the island of Stronsay Click to Enlarge The harbour office in Whitehall village Click to Enlarge Evening light at Whitehall Village in Stronsay Click to Enlarge Stronsay's iconic Vat of Kirbister Stronsay has fertile farmland and many hard-working farmers and fishermen. Local people share a community greenhouse, cutting down on food miles and providing a social place to meet and grow produce. Community groups work to provide a wide range of cultural activity, entertainment and social support.

Another part of Stronsay’s history is the kelp industry which employed many Stronsay folk in the 18th century which processed seaweed for glass and soap manufacture and lined the pockets of local lairds. Stronsay’s coast has cliffs, caves, geos and long sandy beaches. Among the many coastal walks is a signed path to the Vat of Kirbister natural rock arch and gloup which is much photographed. A short walk westwards through the village brings you to the Ayre of Myers, a popular picnic spot and the first of many sandy beaches. Seals are quite often hauled out on the rocks. Rothiesholm has moorland, wind turbines and beaches. Here Bu Sands has large spaced-out dunes built from the wind-blown sand from a beach over a mile long. Some of Orkney’s rarest shells; the bubble shell (canoe) and Cyprina (coo) can be found here. Lamb Ness and Lamb Head are home to many seabirds. Stronsay’s bird reserve is one of the best sites in Europe for spotting rare migrants.

A series of six information leaflets widely available cover the herring fishing industry, flowering plants, shells and seashores, birds and wildlife, archaeology, and one leaflet for children written by Stronsay children about life in the island. The neigbouring tiny island of Papa Stronsay is the home of Transalpine Redemptive monks who offer boat rides around the island. Another small island, Auskerry has the ruined 12th century St Nicholas Chapel and a flock of North Ronaldsay sheep. You can travel by ferry from Kirkwall to Whitehall or fly from Kirkwall airport. Find out more about visiting Stronsay using our related links section to the right hand side of the page. Inside Explore Orkney Orkney | County-Wise County-Wise Be County-Wise and get to know the Historic Counties! Search for: Orkney Orkney is a group of islands north of the mainland of Great Britain but clearly visible from the north coast of Caithness. Between Caithness and Orkney is the Pentland Firth. There are some 90 islands comprising Orkney, but fewer than a third are inhabited. The main island is Mainland.

To the north of Mainland are many scattered islands including Shapinsay, Roussay, Egilsay, Westray and Papa Westray, Stronsay, Sanday, and the furthest, North Ronaldsay. From the south-east edge of Mainland a series of causeways built during the War runs southwards to Burray and then to South Ronaldsay. Lying to the southwest is Hoy. Unique among the islands, Hoy is mountainous, while the rest are generally low, rocky, and treeless, with an occasional cultivated area. Hoy, Flotta, South Ronaldsay and Mainland form a ring around a great body of water; Scapa Flow. Scapa Flow is the Navy’s finest deepwater anchorage, and famous also as the place where in 1918 Rear Admiral von Reuter scuttled the German High Seas Fleet rather than let it remain in British hands. The county town, Kirkwall is on Mainland. St Magnus’s Cathedral, built by the Norse Earl Røgnvald, is an impressive edifice, and the town’s dominant feature. Across the islands of Orkney are prehistoric remains: standing stones, mounds and monuments.

The folk of Orkney though claim Norwegian blood. King Harold I (Harold Fairhair) of Norway added Orkney to the Scandinavian domain in 875, long after the Norse had settled the islands, and made them a Norwegian Earldom. The islands remained nominal dependencies of Norway until 1468, when Christian I of Norway and Denmark pledged them as security for the dowry of his daughter, Margaret, on her marriage to James III of Scotland. The pledge was never redeemed, and Orkney remained the property of Scotland. Nevertheless, the islanders, while proud to be British, insist that they are not Scots but Orcadians. County Facts South Ronaldsay Homes South Ronaldsay for Rent South Ronaldsay Homes South Ronaldsay for Rent 2 Bedroom House (Detached) in South Ronaldsay, near Orkney 2 Bedrooms Orkney Islands From Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia The Orkney Islands, usually called simply Orkney, are one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Orkney consists of about 70 small islands 16 km north of Caithness in northern mainland Scotland.

The largest island in the group is known as The Mainland, with approximately 20 being inhabited. Orkney's administrative capital is Kirkwall on "The Mainland." Home to the St Magnus' Cathedral, it has about 7,500 inhabitants and a large port. The only other burgh is Stromness at the western end of "The Mainland", with a population of only about 2,000. The third largest settlement (c. 550) is St Margaret's Hope, on South Ronaldsay. Orkney is also a former county, and a Lieutenancy area, and the Orkney constituency of the Scottish Parliament. Islands The largest island in Orkney is known as "The Mainland". An older name for it is Hrossey (Horse-island). Other islands can be classified as north or south of "The Mainland." The islands north of "The Mainland" are known collectively as The North Isles, those to the south as The South Isles. The remote Sule Skerry and Sule Stack lie around 60 km west of the archipelago, but form part of the council area.

The North Isles The northern group of islands is the most extensive and consists of a large number of moderately sized islands, linked to "The Mainland" by ferries. Most of the islands described as "holms" are very small. Auskerry South Ronaldsay, Switha, Swona Geography The Pentland Firth is a seaway which separates Orkney from the mainland of Scotland. The firth is 11 km wide between Brough Ness on the island of South Ronaldsay and Duncansby Head in Caithness. Orkney lies between 58° 41' and 59° 24' North, and 2° 22' and 3° 26' West, measures 80 km from northeast to southwest and 47 km from east to west, and covers 973 km². Excepting on the west coasts of the larger islands, which present rugged cliff scenery remarkable both for beauty and for colouring, the group lies somewhat low and is of bleak aspect. The hilliest island is Hoy; the highest point in Orkney, Ward Hill, is to be found there.

The only other islands containing heights of any importance are "The Mainland", with (another) Ward Hill (268 m), and Wideford Hill and Rousay. Nearly all of the islands possess lochs (lakes), and The Loch of Harray and The Loch of Stenness on "The Mainland" attain noteworthy proportions. The rivers are merely streams draining the high land. Excepting on the west fronts of the Mainland, Hoy and Rousay, the coastline of the islands is deeply indented, and the islands themselves are divided from each other by straits generally called "sounds" or "firths", though off the north-east of Hoy the designation "Bring Deeps" is used, south of "The Mainland" is Scapa Flow and to the south-west of Eday is found the Fall of Warness. The very names of the islands indicate their nature: the terminal "a" or "ay" represents the Norse ey, meaning "island", which is scarcely disguised even in the words "Pomona" (an older alternative name for The Mainland) and "Hoy". The islets are usually styled "holms" and the isolated rocks "skerries".

The tidal currents, or races, or "roost" (as some of them are called locally, from the Icelandic) off many of the isles run with enormous velocity, and whirlpools are of frequent occurrence, and strong enough at times to prove a source of danger to small craft. The charm of Orkney does not lie in their ordinary physical features, so much as in beautiful atmospheric effects, extraordinary examples of light and shade, and rich coloration of cliff and sea. The islands are notable for the lack of trees, which is partly accounted for by the amount of wind (although the climate in general is temperate). The formation of peat is evidence that this was not always the case, and deliberate deforestation is believed to have taken place at some stage prior to the Neolithic, the use of stone in settlements such as Skara Brae being evidence of the lack of availability of timber for building. Most of the land is still taken up by farms, and agriculture is by far the most important sector of the economy, with fishing also being a major occupation. Orkney exports beef, cheese, whisky, beer, fish and seafood. Geology All the islands of this group are built up entirely of Old Red Sandstone.

As in the neighbouring mainland county of Caithness, these rocks rest upon the metamorphic rocks of the eastern schists, as may be seen on The Mainland, where a narrow strip is exposed between Stromness and Inganess, and again in the small island of Graemsay; they are represented by grey gneiss and granite. The upper division of the Old Red Sandstone is found only on Hoy, where it forms the Old Man of Hoy and neighbouring cliffs on the northwest coast. The Old Man of Hoy presents a characteristic section, for it exhibits a thick pile of massive, current-bedded red sandstones, resting, near the foot of the pinnacle, upon a thin bed of amygdaloidal porphyrite, which in its turn lies unconformably upon steeply inclined flagstones. This bed of volcanic rock may be followed northward in the cliffs, and it may be noticed that it thickens considerably in that direction.

The Lower Old Red Sandstone is represented by well-bedded flagstones over most of the islands; in the south of The Mainland these are faulted against an overlying series of massive red sandstones, but a gradual passage from the flagstones to the sandstones may be followed from Westray southeastwards into Eday. A strong synclinal fold traverses Eday and Shapinsay, the axis being North and South. Near Haco's Ness in Shapinsay there is a small exposure of amygdaloidal diabase, which is (of course) older than that on Hoy. Many indications of ice action are found on these islands; striated surfaces are to be seen on the cliffs in Eday and Westray, in Kirkwall Bay and on Stennie Hill in Eday; boulder clay, with marine shells, and with many boulders of rocks foreign to the islands (chalk, oolitic limestone, flint, etc), which must have been brought up from the region of Moray Firth, rests upon the old strata in many places. Local moraines are found in some of the valleys in The Mainland and Hoy.

Climate The climate is remarkably temperate and steady for such a northerly latitude. The average temperature for the year is 8 °C (46 °F), for winter 4 °C (39 °F) and for summer 12 °C (54 °F). The winter months are January, February and March, the last being the coldest. Spring never begins before April, and it is the middle of June before the warmth grows comfortable. September is frequently the finest month, and at the end of October or the beginning of November the "peedie" (or little) summer or milder weather may occur. The average annual rainfall varies from 850 mm (33 in.) to 940 mm (37 in.). Fogs occur during summer and early autumn, and furious gales may be expected four or five times in the year. To tourists, one of the fascinations of the islands is their nightless summers. On the longest day, the sun rises at 03:00 and sets at 21:25 — and darkness is unknown, it being possible to read at midnight. Winter, however, is long and depressing.

On the shortest day the sun rises at 09:10 and sets at 15:17. The soil generally is a sandy loam or a strong but friable clay, and very fertile. Large quantities of seaweed as well as lime and marl are available for manure. Economy The woollen trade once promised to reach considerable dimensions, but towards the end of the 18th century was superseded by the linen (for which flax came to be largely grown); and when this in turn collapsed before the products of the mills of Dundee, Dunfermline and Glasgow, straw-plaiting was taken up, though only to be killed in due time by the competition of the south. The kelp industry was formerly of at least minor importance. For several centuries the Dutch practically monopolised the herring fishery, but when their supremacy was destroyed by the salt duty, the Orcadians failed to seize the opportunity thus presented, and George Barry (died 1805) recorded that in his day the fisheries were almost totally neglected. The industry, however, revived, concentrating on herring, cod and ling, but also catching lobsters and crabs.

In recent years, the Orkney economy has seen growth in areas other than the traditional agriculture, livestock farming, and fishing. These include tourism; food and beverage manufacture; jewellery, knitwear, and other crafts production; construction; and oil transportation through the Flotta oil terminal. Public services also play a significant role. Communications Frequent ferry services operate on the following routes: Lerwick to Kirkwall John O'Groats to Burwick, South Ronaldsay Gills Bay to St Margaret's Hope Most of the larger islands have their own airfield or airstrip. Loganair operates regular services to six islands from Kirkwall. These include the shortest scheduled air service in the world, between the islands of Westray and Papa Westray. The flight is scheduled at two minutes' duration but can take less than a minute if the wind is in the right direction. There are ideas being discussed to build an undersea tunnel between Orkney and the Scottish mainland, at a length of about 9-10 miles (15-16 km) or (more likely) one connecting the Mainland to Shapinsay. (Links: both 2005).

Media The islands are currently served by two weekly local newspapers,Orkney Todayand The Orcadian, both published every Thursday. In addition, a local radio station operates, with a second hoping to return to the isles in the near future. Radio Orkney, the local opt-out of BBC Radio Scotland, broadcasts twice daily, with local news and entertainment. The Superstation Orkney, Orkney's first commercial radio station, will begin broadcasting on 105.4FM in 2006. The station was granted a community radio licence in September 2005 by Ofcom. Heritage Located on Mainland is the 'Heart of Neolithic Orkney' a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. This comprises a group of Neolithic monuments which consist of a large chambered tomb (Maes Howe), two ceremonial stone circles (the Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar) and a settlement (Skara Brae), together with a number of unexcavated burial, ceremonial and settlement sites. The group constitutes a major prehistoric cultural landscape which gives a graphic depiction of life in this remote archipelago in the far north of Scotland some 5,000 years ago.

Viking settlers comprehensively occupied Orkney, and the islands became a possession of Norway until being given to Scotland during the 15th century as part of a dowry settlement. Evidence of the Viking presence is widespread, and includes the settlement at the Brough of Birsay, the vast majority of place names, and runic inscriptions at Maeshowe and other ancient sites. History Main article: History of the Orkney Islands The original inhabitants were Picts, evidence of whose occupation still exists in numerous "weems" or underground houses, chambered mounds, barrows or burial mounds, "brochs" or round towers, and stone circles and standing stones. Such implements as have survived are of the rudest description, and include quern-stones for grinding materials including grain, stone whorls and bone combs employed in primitive forms of woollen manufacture, and specimens of simple pottery ware. The Romans were aware of, and probably circumnavigated, the Orkney Islands, which they called "Orcades". There is evidence that they traded, either directly or indirectly, with the inhabitants. However, they made no attempt to occupy the islands.

If, as seems likely, the Dalriadic Gaels established a footing in the islands towards the beginning of the 6th century, their success was short-lived, and the Picts regained power and kept it until dispossessed by the Norsemen in the 9th century. In the wake of the Scots incursionists followed the Celtic missionaries about 565. They were companions of Saint Columba and their efforts to convert the folk to Christianity seem to have impressed the popular imagination, for several islands bear the epithet "Papa" in commemoration of the preachers. Vikings having made the islands the headquarters of their buccaneering expeditions (carried out indifferently against their own Norway and the coasts and isles of Scotland), Harold Hårfagre ("Fair Hair") subdued the rovers in 875 and annexed both Orkney and Shetland to Norway. The martyrdom of Earl Magnus resulted in the building of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. The islands remained under the rule of Norse earls until 1231, when the line of the jarls became extinct.

In that year the earldom of Caithness was granted to Magnus, second son of the Earl of Angus, whom the king of Norway apparently confirmed in the title. Recent studies from the field of population genetics reveal a significant percentage of Norse ethnic heritage – up to one third of the Y chromosomes on the islands are derived from western Norwegian sources, as opposed to the Shetlands, where over half the male lineage is Norse. Some jarls of Orkney: Turf-Einar, 910 Thorfinn Turf-Einarsson, Earl of Orkney, 963 In 1468 Orkney and Shetland were pledged by Christian I of Denmark and Norway for the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James III of Scotland, and as the money was never paid, their connection with the crown of Scotland has been perpetual.

In 1471 James bestowed the castle and lands of Ravenscraig, in Fife, on William, Earl of Orkney, in exchange for all his rights to the earldom of Orkney, which, by an Act of the Parliament of Scotland, passed on February 20, 1472, was annexed to the Scottish crown. In 1564 Lord Robert Stewart, natural son of James V of Scotland, who had visited Kirkwall twenty-four years before, was made sheriff of Orkney and Shetland, and received possession of the estates of the udallers; in 1581 he was created earl of Orkney by James VI of Scotland, the charter being ratified ten years later to his son Patrick, but in 1615 the earldom was again annexed to the crown. The islands were the rendezvous of Montrose's expedition in 1650 which culminated in his imprisonment and death. During the Protectorate they were visited by a detachment of Cromwell's troops, who initiated the inhabitants into various industrial arts and new methods of agriculture.

In 1707 the islands were granted to the earl of Morton in mortgage, redeemable by the Crown on payment of 30,000 pounds, and subject to an annual feu-duty of 500 pounds; but in 1766 his estates were sold to Sir Lawrence Dundas, ancestor of the Earls of Zetland. In early times both the archbishop of Hamburg and the archbishop of York disputed with the Norwegians ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the Orkneys and the right of consecrating bishops; but ultimately the Norwegian bishops, the first of whom was William the Old (consecrated in 1102), continued the canonical succession. The see remained vacant from 1580 to 1606, and from 1638 till the Restoration, and, after the accession of William III, the episcopacy was finally abolished (1697), although many of the clergy refused to conform. The toponymy of the Orkneys is wholly Norse, and the Norse tongue, at last extinguished by the constant influx of settlers from Scotland, lingered until the end of the 18th century.

Readers of Scott's Pirate will remember the frank contempt which Magnus Troil expressed for the Scots, and his opinions probably accurately reflected the general Norse feeling on the subject. When the islands were given as security for the princess's dowry, there seems reason to believe that it was intended to redeem the pledge, because it was then stipulated that the Norse system of government and the law of Saint Olaf should continue to be observed in Orkney and Shetland. Thus the udal succession and mode of land tenure (that is, absolute freehold as distinguished from feudal tenure) lingered to some extent, and the remaining udallers held their lands and passed them on without written title. By the mid 1800s Orkney was firmly under the rule of Scotland, with absentee sheriffs holding nominal power. For example Lord Neaves, the esteemed Scottish jurist held the sheriff position on Orkney from 1845 to 1852. During World War I and World War II, the Royal Navy had a major base at Scapa Flow. The base was closed in 1956.

In the Arthurian legend, Orkney is the home to King Lot, Sir Gareth, Sir Gaheris, Sir Gawaine, and Sir Agravain. Language The older Norn was replaced by Lowland Scots which in turn is being replaced by Scottish English. However, Orkney does have its own dialect, referred to by the locals as 'Orcadian'.

Orcadian people Magnus Erlendsson (Saint Magnus) (c1070 – c1117), Earl of Orkney c1105 – 1117 Rognvald Kali Kolssson (Saint Rognvald) (c1103 – 1158), Earl of Orkney 1136 – 1158 James Atkine (1613 – 1687), bishop first of Moray and afterwards of Galloway Murdoch McKenzie (died 1797), the hydrographer Malcolm Laing (1762 – 1818), author of the History of Scotland from the Union of the Crowns to the Union of the Kingdoms William Sinclair (1766 – 1818), Chief Factor at the Hudsons Bay Company Mary Brunton (1778 – 1818), author of Self-Control, Discipline and other novels Samuel Laing (1780 – 1868), author of A Residence in Norway, and translator of the Heimskringla, the Icelandic chronicle of the kings of Norway Thomas Stewart Traill (1

781 – 1862), professor of medical jurisprudence at Edinburgh University and editor of the 8th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica Samuel Laing (1812 – 1897), chairman of the London, Brighton.

& South Coast railway, and introducer of the system of "parliamentary" trains with fares of one penny a mile Dr. John Rae (1813 – 1893), an Arctic explorer Rev. Matthew Armour (1820-1903), Sanday’s radical Free Kirk Minister William Balfour Baikie (1825 – 1864), traveller in Africa Walter Traill Dennison (1826 - 1894), Orcadian folklorist Edwin Muir (1887 – 1959), author and poet Stanley Cursiter (1887 – 1976), artist Eric Linklater (1899 – 1974), novelist, playwright, journalist, essayist, and poet George Mackay Brown (1921 – 1996), poet, author, playwright.

Luke Sutherland, writer of novels Jelly Roll, Sweatmeat and Venus as a Boy Constituencies The Orkney Islands are represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as part of the Orkney and Shetland constituency, which elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. In the Scottish Parliament the Orkney Islands are themselves the Orkney constituency, which elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post system. Also, the Orkney Islands are within the Highlands and Islands electoral region. This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. This article was copied on 11 July 2006. The current version with history is available on Wikipedia.

Text on this page is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (see Copyrights for details) HHRCOUK_Area_Key 607a38fb-43f8-47d9-a754-0b4afdd88478 Stronsay | Love Scottish Islands Stronsay - Whitehall How do I get to Stronsay? Loganair (part of the Flybe group) fly from Aberdeen, Barra, Belfast, Benbecula, Birmingham, Campbeltown, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Guernsey, Inverness, Islay, Isle of Man, Jersey, Leeds/Bradford, London (Gatwick), Manchester, Manston (Kent), Newquay, Norwich, Southampton, Stornoway and Sumburgh (Shetland). Most flights are via Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Inverness. Or, you could travel by Northlink ferry from the ferry terminals in Aberdeen (to Kirkwall) and Scrabster (to Stromness). Alternatively, you could travel by Pentland Ferries on the Gill´s Bay to St Margert´s Hope route.

Finally, John O´ Groats passenger only ferries run from John O´Groats to South Ronaldsay. From May to September, there is a direct bus route from Inverness to John O´Groats that meets with the ferry – this is known as ´The Orkney Bus´. There are ferries to Stronsay from Kirkwall and from Eday, on a daily basis. There are also daily Loganair flights from Kirkwall airport to Stronsay. How do I get around Stronsay? Car hire and taxi are available from D S Peace on Stronsay. Walking and cycling are also a good idea due to the low-lying nature of the island. There are some planned walks such as Rothiesholm walk and a walk to the Vat of Kirbister. What’s worth visiting on Stronsay? The main village of Whitehall is very picturesque and was once one of the major Herring Ports in Scotland. Stronsay’s old Fish Market has now been renovated and features an Interpretation Centre and a Cafe. The Vat of Kirbister is a spectacular opening spanned by the finest natural arch in Orkney.

Also well worth a visit is Stronsay Arts and Crafts at Whitehall. Where can I stay on Stronsay? The Stronsay Hotel is situated close to the ferry terminal. Holland Farm, Clestrian and Stronsay Bird Reserve offer Bed and Breakfast accommodation. There is also a Hostel at Stronsay Fish Mart and camping is available at Torness Camping Barn. Any other information on Stronsay? A large, dead sea-creature washed ashore on Stronsay, after a storm in 1808. It became known as the ‘Stronsay Beast’. The Natural History Society of Edinburgh could not identify the carcass and decided it was a new species, probably a sea serpent. However, modern research suggests that it may have been an unusually large basking shark. North Ronaldsay | Orkney.com North Ronaldsay Menu North Ronaldsay The island's unique seaweed eating sheep, an Old Beacon featured on prime time television and the flight path for thousands of migratory birds have all helped put North Ronaldsay on the map. It’s a small island and the most isolated and northerly of Orkney’s populated isles which has preserved a distinct cultural tradition; loved by visitors and residents.

It has one of the most well attended Harvest Homes anywhere in Orkney and a strong community spirit. Click to Enlarge North Ronaldsay's new lighthouse at Dennis Head Click to Enlarge The island of North Ronaldsay from the air Click to Enlarge The lighthouse keeper keeping watch in North Ronaldsay Click to Enlarge Looking along the sheep dyke at the north end of the island Click to Enlarge The famous sheep dyke in North Ronaldsay Click to Enlarge The Old Beacon in North Ronaldsay Click to Enlarge The iconic seaweed eating sheep of North Ronaldsay Click to Enlarge There is ongoing work to repair damage to the sheep dyke by stormy weather North Ronaldsay sheep are an ancient breed which are kept on the foreshore by a 13-mile drystone wall known as a dyke and live mainly on seaweed. They are allowed on pasture only during lambing and are managed by a sheep court of islanders. Their mutton is prized by top chefs and a mutton run, using the idea of the Beaujolais run, took carcasses to Edinburgh and London. The Old Beacon was built in the 1780s to warn ships of the infamous rocks of Reef Dyke.

It is one of the earliest lights in the country and was featured on the BBC’s Restoration programme. It didn’t win the top prize money but it won the Scottish heat and the project to restore it and associated buildings continues. Nearby is the more recent Stevenson lighthouse which has guided tours through the North Ronaldsay Trust. Former lighthouse buildings have been converted into upmarket self catering units, a café and a woollen mill, using fleece from the famous sheep and selling garments and throws. The Trust also manages a modern house in the island aimed at attracting new families and keeping the school viable. It's hoped the development of more tourism attractions will create new jobs. Other facilities include a post office and the Old Kirk where island photographs and documents are displayed. The North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory offers accommodation and the opportunity to record the fantastic array of native and migratory birds heading for Iceland, Greenland and Scandinavia. As well as a good spot for a huge number of species and rarities, North Ronaldsay has recorded pods of passing killer whales and pilot whales, as well as porpoises and dolphins - and even a walrus in 2013! A standing stone and broch and other prehistoric settlement remnants can be seen on the island.

There is a weekly car ferry from Kirkwall on Fridays and flights every day. Inside Explore Orkney South Ronaldsay | Orkney.com South Ronaldsay Menu South Ronaldsay After you cross the fourth and final Churchill Barrier, you'll arrive in the largest settlement outside Kirkwall in the east, the attractive harbour village of St Margaret’s Hope in South Ronaldsay.

Click to Enlarge Hoxa in South Ronaldsay has spectacular views over Scapa Flow Click to Enlarge Sandwick Bay in South Ronaldsay Click to Enlarge Howe at Hoxa in South Ronaldsay Click to Enlarge Hoxa Head in South Ronaldsay on the edge of Scapa Flow Click to Enlarge The beach at the fourth barrier which joins Burray to South Ronaldsay Click to Enlarge An aerial view of St Margaret's Hope Click to Enlarge Windwick Bay in South Ronaldsay Click to Enlarge The view down to the Sands o' Wright Click to Enlarge The Loft Gallery and Workshop in St Margaret's Hope Click to Enlarge The village of St Margaret's Hope in South Ronaldsay Click to Enlarge The sea stack at Windwick in South Ronaldsay Click to Enlarge The excavation work at the Cairns in South Ronaldsay The village itself has everything you need - Pentland Ferries runs its catamaran ferry service to Gill’s Bay near John o’ Groats from 'the Hope'. There is an art gallery and craft shop, hotels, an award-winning restaurant, a golf course and the William Hourston Smiddy Museum. Films and live drama are regularly put on in the Cromarty Hall.

In August the traditional Boys’ Ploughing Match and Festival of the Horse is held. There are gentle sandy bays nearby at Sands o’ Wright and at Herston. At Hoxa Head you can explore the remains of World War One and Two gun batteries and look across Scapa Flow to the isle of Flotta - you might even see porpoises passing by. South of the village, as far as you can go is Burwick Pier where you can take a foot ferry to John o’ Groats in the summer. You will also find the Tomb of the Eagles , a Neolithic chambered tomb which was uncovered on a farm. The family-owned visitor centre offers a welcoming talk when you can handle artefacts before making your way on a stunning coastal path to the tomb, where eagle talons were found amongst the burial. Also in the area is the recently opened Skerries Bistro restaurant, which is situated next to the Banks Chambered Tomb . South Ronaldsay is one of the linked South Isles, which are connected to each other by the manmade causeways, the Churchill Barriers, built by Italian prisoners-of-war during World War Two.

The linked isles are Glimps Holm, Burray and Lamb Holm - home of the famous Italian Chapel, a work of art created inside two Nissen huts. The barriers have helped create beautiful beaches, especially at the third and fourth barriers. Inside Explore Orkney Orkney Islands Orkney Islands Orkney Islands Stronsay is an island in Orkney, Scotland situated to the North of the British Isles. Stronsay is part of an extensive group of Islands where the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea meet, known as the Orkney Islands. Stronsay's shape is irregular and its name originates from the Old Norse for Star Island. Stronsay is one of the inhabited islands in the Orkneys. Orkney Islands The Orkney Islands are a group of islands in northern Scotland that lie approximately ten miles north of Caithness. There are more than seventy islands in the Orkney Islands group, the largest of which is "Mainland" which is connected by causeways to Burray and South Ronaldsay. The largest settlement on Mainland is Kirkwall. There are around twenty inhabited islands in the Orkneys.

The Orkney Islands have been inhabited for over 5,500 years, first by neolithic tribes and then by the Picts. Remains have been found in the Orkney Islands dated to 6,800 BC. The Norse, Vikings and more recently, Scots have all made the Orkneys their home. The Flag of Orkney Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands was a Royal Navy base during World War I and World War II. The largest island in the Orkneys is "Mainland" which has 75% of the population of the Orkney Islands living there. Mainland has a ferry terminal and airport connecting the Orkney Islands to the mainland of Scotland. The Pentland Firth separates The Orkney Islands from the mainland of Scotland. The firth is 6.8 miles (11 km) wide between Brough Ness on the island of South Ronaldsay and Duncansby Head in Caithness. A map of the Orkney Islands in Scotland.

The Orkney Islands are represented in the House of Commons as part of the Orkney and Shetland constituency, which elects one Member of Parliament (MP) and in the Scottish Parliament the Orkney constituency elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). Hoy | VisitOrkney Back to Our Islands Synonymous with the world famous sea stack the Old Man of Hoy, Orkney's second largest island rises dramatically from the sea. With mountainous moorland and glacial valleys, you will encounter a dramatic highland landscape. Hoy is unlike anywhere else in Orkney. The Vikings named Hoy High Island and it is not hard to understand why. Orkney's highest peak - Ward Hill - stands an impressive 1,570 feet, while in the rugged north St John's Head presents a serious challenge for experienced climbers who flock to Hoy every year. At 1,136 feet, it is the highest perpendicular cliff in Britain! Chris Bonington, Leo Houlding and the BBC's One Show presenter Andy Torbet. Chris Bonington climbing the Old Man at the age of 80! The Old Man of Hoy. The Old Man of Hoy from the ferry to Stromness.

The famous solitary grave of Betty Corrigall. The Dwarfie Stone rock cut tomb dating back to around 3000BC. Rackwick Beach. Ward Hill. Image © Marius Federowicz. Ward Hill in Hoy looking from Stromness. Martello Tower and Battery. Hoy is best enjoyed outdoors and has an intriguing history. A recently restored path guides walkers from the hamlet of Rackwick and its dramatic bay to the iconic Old Man. Still in the north, the Dwarfie Stane is reputed to be the only Neolithic rock-cut tomb in Britain dating from 3000BC. Orkney mythology and legends abound on Hoy, with tales of giants and evil dwarfs! Hoy is rightly famous for its birdlife. 10,000 acres of moorland and dramatic sea cliffs form an RSPB Nature Reserve which attracts large numbers of migrating and resident birds, including the much loved Puffin - the viewpoint overlooking the Old Man is said to be the best place to spot them.

The majority of Hoy's 400 strong population live in the south of the island around the villages of Lyness and Longhope where you will find the excellent Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum and other attractions including the Napoleonic-era Martello Tower and Battery at Hackness . The small island of Graemsay, identified by its two lighthouses, lies between Hoy and Stromness on the Mainland. The island has good accommodation and can be reached by car ferry which runs from Houton to Lyness and by foot ferry from Stromness via Graemsay to Moaness.

Question: In which group of islands are Stronsay, Hoy and South Ronaldsay?
Answer: Orkneys